Takin' a walk on the wild side of life
A SMALL white egret, (above), a soldier beetle and a wildflower meadow featured in the winning pictures in a photographic competition designed to highlight the diversity in Ireland's landscape and wildlife.
The winning photograph of the egret bird standing in the water netted the €5,000 first prize for Jimmy Edmonds, a retired painter and decorator from Mulgannon, from Co Wexford.
The €3,000 second prize for the image of the beetle exploring a fern (below) was won by Donal Mullins of Fethard, Co Tipperary.
Third prize for the picture of a wildflower (centre) meadow was won by Veronica Healy of Miltown Malbay in Co Clare.
The 'Notice Nature TV3 Wildlife Photographic Competition' was part of campaign by the Department of the Environment to prompt the public to take more notice of nature in their midst.
The judges commented on the winning image: "The little egret by Jimmy Edmonds was a very deserving winner.
"The simplicity of the picture makes it stand out from the crowd and the lighting, exposure and pose of the bird along with the photographer's skill in bringing all this together, make it a beautiful wildlife image."
Environment Minister John Gormley, who has agreed to present the prizes today, said the thousands of entries showed: "the keen interest the Irish people have in their natural environment and the winning entries are all beautiful images".
He said the task of increasing public awareness of the importance of biodiversity was an important challenge and would be a key element in Ireland's efforts to halt biodiversity loss.
ALAN O'KEEFFE
